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All births in the UK have been required to be registered since 1837 for England and Wales, 1855 for Scotland, and 1864 in what is now Northern Ireland. As such, these dates mark the start of civil registration.

It is believed that between 1837 and 1875 up to 15% of births were not registered civilly, and the child was only baptised, because it was commonly believed that a parish registration was sufficient.

Birth certificates for England and Wales available from ourselves date from 1837 to eighteen months prior to the current date, which is when the local registers which are transcribed by the registrar at the local register office are made available nationally to the General Register Office.

Registry Office is often used instead of Register Office. Although the latter is the official term, which is why the central office is known as the General Register Office or GRO, both are commonly used and would be recognised.

Prior to 1984, the birth indexes were arranged by quarter, January and March (March quarter), April to June (June quarter); July to September (September quarter) and October to December (December quarter).

A photocopy of a certificate is not usually accepted for official purposes, and so a certificate should be 'full certified copy of an entry of birth', one which gives details of their parents.

For a couple marrying abroad as part of a package, their birth certificates will used be required by the tour operators. They may also need to be legalised. Many countries will have this requirement for the wedding, such as Antigua, Australia, Bahamas, Bali, Barbados, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Cyprus, Dominican Republic, Fiji, Florida, Jamaica, Mauritius, Mexico, Seychelles, Spain, Sri Lanka and Thailand.

Please confirm this information with your tour operator or relevant embassy, as requirements can change.

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